Lost 1968 Neil Young and Joni Mitchell Recordings Could Be Released

Lost professional live recordings of Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and others could be released if the owners can secure a record deal. The Michigan History Project are current keepers of seven-inch reel-to-reel tapes recorded in 1968 at the University of Michigan's Canterbury House, a venue popular with counterculture artists at the time. Tim Buckley, Odetta, David Ackles and Dave Van Ronk can also be heard performing. The material was described as “historically significant.”

“We learned of the existence of the tapes about six years ago,” MHP president Alan Glenn said in a statement, via Rolling Stone. “They were in the possession of a private collector. Then they disappeared, and we were afraid they were gone for good. But a few weeks ago they resurfaced, much to our surprise and relief. Now our first priority will be to get them transferred to a digital format, then make sure that the original analog tapes are safely archived.”

Michigan-based mastering engineer said: “These… aren’t audience-recorded bootlegs but first-rate soundboard captures made on professional equipment. It’s an amazing collection with the rare combination of being well-recorded and also well-preserved, and that makes it even more historically significant.”

Young performed three nights at Canterbury House in November of 1969 and two of those were released under the title Sugar Mountain – Live at Canterbury House 1968 ten years ago. It’s not clear whether MHP’s recordings include additional unreleased material. Earlier this month the DVD release of MItchell's 1970 Isle of Wight performance was announced. David Bowie’s first-ever recording was streamed after having been discovered in the attic of his drummer at the time. Bob Dylan just released an album of unheard ’60s live songs.